Retreat with the Idler to Florence and the Tuscan countryside, 7-12 September 2026

On The Idler Gardens of Florence Retreat we’ll visit some of the most beautiful and fascinating gardens in Italy. We’ll wander the streets of the city itself and visit palazzi with hidden gardens. We’ll view outstanding Renaissance paintings of the gardens and nature of Florence and Tuscany. We’ll relax in a boutique farmhouse hotel, complete with a spa, pool and tennis court.

Your hosts will be Idler art critic and landscape historian Tim Richardson, Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson, and Idler Academy Director Victoria Hull. 

With exclusive access at Villa La Pietra and Villa Gamberaia, Tim will set everything in context as we wander these lovely and fascinating gardens. Tom will give talks on the idling academies of Renaissance Florence, and the medieval values of the city-state.

Expect good food and wine, interesting company and plenty of time to idle in a stunning location. 

Places are extremely limited on the Idler Gardens of Florence Retreat so secure your place now with a £500 deposit.

On the Idler Gardens of Florence Retreat, you will enjoy…

A visit to Villa Gamberaia, possibly the greatest of all the gardens of the Italian Renaissance.

An exclusive tour of Villa La Pietra and its garden, not generally open to the public.

A visit to Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, a great ‘forgotten’ Medici palace with outstanding frescoes by Gozzoli celebrated for their wonderful background scenes of countryside and nature. 

An afternoon in the famous Boboli and Bardini gardens of Florence.

A morning at the Artigianato e Palazzo, an annual festival of artisans in the Corsini Gardens never otherwise open to the public.

A deposit of £500 will secure your place today. 

Gardens of Florence Retreat Hosts

Tom Hodgkinson is editor of the Idler and author of several books including How to Live Like a Stoic: A Handbook for Happiness, How to Be Idle, How to Be Free and An Idler’s Manual. He founded the Idler in 1993.

Tim Richardson is a long-time Idler contributor who specialises in gardens and art, and the point where they intersect. He was professor of landscape art at Vienna University (Arts) and course tutor on the Landscape History MA at London University. His online course on English landscape history is taught via the University of Oxford. He is the author of a number of books on garden and landscape subjects including The New English Garden, Avant Gardeners, English Gardens in the 20th Century and Sissinghurst: The Dream Garden. He is the tutor of the Idler Academy online course “The History of the English Garden”.

Victoria Hull is director of the Idler Academy and founder of the Clerkenwell Literary Festival.

The Idler Gardens of Florence Itinerary

The guide itinerary below gives you a good idea of what we’ll get up to during our time in Florence. We’ll also provide reading lists and a city guide should you wish to do some exploring on your own.

Monday 7 September

Arrivals at Podere Castellare. Welcome lunch in the gardens.

Aperitivo lecture: Tom will talk on Idling in Florence and the medieval values of the city state.

Dinner Podere Castellare.

Tuesday 8 September 

Morning trip to Florence: We’ll discover painted landscapes, as we visit Gozzoli’s astounding frescoes in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. This is a great ‘forgotten’ Medici palace where the Medici lived before the Palazzo Vecchio. The palazzo’s courtyard and garden are noble spaces, replete with statuary where Michelangelo and other sculptors came to draw and copy Roman statues. 

Lunch at a traditional paninoteca. 

Afternoon excursion to the Boboli and Bardini Gardens: We’ll explore two of the most significant historical green spaces in Florence, both masterpieces of Renaissance landscape architecture and filled with sculptural treasures. 

Dinner Podere Castellare.

Wednesday 9 September

Morning Lecture: Tom on the Idling Academies of Florence. Tom will unpack the history and meaning of the word “Academy” and its intimate relationship with the art of idling.

Optional extra: Wine tasting and light lunch at Castello di Nipozzano, a 1000-year-old castle home to renowned Chianti wines, owned by the historic Frescobaldi family. 

For those not wine tasting, there will be the option for a hike followed by picnic lunch by the pool. 

An afternoon of leisure for all, enjoying the beautiful gardens and pool at Podere Castellare. 

Optional extra: Learn to cook Tuscan classics like cantucci or pasta with rabbit ragù in a cookery class with Castellare’s chef. 

Aperitivo lecture: Tim on the Gardens of Florence.
Garden-making was an important aspect of the Italian Renaissance, particularly through the patronage of the Medici family, who built a number of villas with gardens in and around Florence. Tim will show how garden style developed in sophisticated ways through the 16th and 17th centuries, with the emphasis on the creation of mood and atmosphere in garden episodes, always with reference to mythical stories and settings. 

Dinner Podere Castellare.

Thursday 10 September

Morning visit to Villa La Pietra. This imposing 16th-century Tuscan villa was owned by the English art dealer Arthur Acton and then his son the aesthete Harold Acton. At the turn of the 20th Century, Arthur created the extraordinary formal garden which looks as if it is Renaissance – full of statuary and hedging and on a steep slope. We’ll enjoy exclusive access to the limonaia, with a special lecture from La Pietra’s Horticultural Associate on the garden’s creation, building and restoration. 

Lunch in La Pietra’s orangery.

Afternoon visit to Villa Gamberaia. Set in Settignano, one of the hillside villages overlooking Florence, this great masterpiece of Florentine gardens remains wonderfully off the beaten path for many tourists. It has amazing views from its terrace down to Florence and the Duomo, where we can enjoy refreshments while soaking up the incredible scenery. 

Dinner Podere Castellare.

Friday 11 September

Crafts festival at Palazzo Corsini: This event convened by the late Princess Corsini gives us the chance to meet traditional artisans as well as see the garden itself, which is otherwise not open to the public. There are lovely 17th-century limonaia, geometric boxwood hedges and even tortoises roaming freely.

Choose your own lunch from food stalls at the festival.

Afternoon to relax at Podere Castellare.

Final feast and singalong.

Saturday 12 September 

Departures from Podere Castellare. 

Where you will stay: Podere Castellare

For the Idler Gardens of Florence Retreat our home will be Podere Castellare, an eco-resort located in stunning Chianti countryside, about 30 mins from Florence. Podere Castellare is a working organic farm, producing wine, olive oil, fruit, vegetables and the first Tuscan craft gin, Peter in Florence, made using local botanicals from the estate. We have access to the spa, pool, tennis court and a small gym. There are plenty of local hikes to explore.

About the Bedrooms 

Podere Castellare is comprised of twelve rooms and two apartments. All rooms are spacious, light and comfortable and have been thoughtfully designed to be in keeping with the natural Tuscan surroundings. 

Prices

£1948 per person for a double occupancy, ensuite room 

£2532 per person for a single occupancy, ensuite room 

£2073 per person for double occupancy of the Sambuco suite – one double bedroom, one sitting room with sofa bed, one bathroom.

£1960 per person double occupancy in The Noce apartment – comprised of two separate, ensuite double bedrooms + one sitting room with a kitchen. It can be shared between 2 to 4 people (single room occupancy will incur a single supplement). If interested in this option, please contact us for more details.

A deposit of £500 is payable now. The remainder will be due by 7 June 2026, three months before the retreat.

Please email mail@idler.co.uk to let us know which type of room you want. Please also let us know if you have any accessibility needs so that we can ensure you get a suitable room.

 

 

What’s Included

• All talks, museum tickets, and trips
• Accommodation and tourist tax
• All dinners including wine
• Five out of six lunches, usually picnic lunches or panini.
• All breakfasts
• Transfers to Podere Castellare for the recommended flights

What’s Not included

• Flights
• Wine tasting (approx. 60 euros), and cooking class (approx. 40 euros)
• Lunch at festival stalls at Villa Corsini
• Additional alcoholic and soft drinks

Previous Retreaters Enjoyed:

A stress-free holiday with no pressure to do anything and just be idle.

The food was incredible; the Idler hosts were wonderful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic…

Great food, really good people, excellent hosts.

The programme was rich and varied, with space for down time! 

The relaxed happy atmosphere made for a splendid week.

Talks of a very high standard.

The Idlers were convivial, interesting and easy to get along with.

 

Is this retreat for you?

Retreat participants must have a good level of fitness and mobility as there will be a fair amount of walking around Florence and the gardens. We will also be standing in churches and galleries for at least an hour at a time, and walking round uneven medieval streets. If you have any questions about this, or if you’d like to enquire about possible adjustments, please email mail@idler.co.uk.

Transport

We recommend the following flights for which we will arrange a group transfer:

Outbound:
Monday 7 September
British Airways flight BA8471, London City to Florence, departure at 8:35, arrival 11:45

Return:
Saturday 12 September
British Airways flight BA8472, Florence to London City, departure at 10:55, arrival 12:10

There are other flights to Florence that day, should the times above not suit you; you can get a cab to Podere Castellare.

Alternatively, there are flights to Pisa and Bologna, from where you could travel to Castellare (you could either hire a car or travel by train to Florence or Pontassieve and then get a cab). 

Pontassieve is the nearest train station. It is about 15 minutes by car. 

Terms & Conditions

Please ensure you take out travel insurance.

It is a condition of accepting your booking that you provide proof of personal travel insurance, including cancellation insurance for medical reasons, redundancy, jury service etc. for all members of your party. Please note that the use of Podere Castellare (the facilities, grounds and swimming pool) are entirely at the user’s risk.